Harvey webster and alonzo webster



UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

HARVEY WEBSTER AND ALONZO WEBSTER, OF MONTPELIER, VERMONT.

WHIFFLETREE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,976, dated May 29, 1855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARVEY WEBSTER and ALONZO WEBSTER, of Montpelier,in the county of Washington and State of Vermont, have invented animprovement in mechanism by which a horse may be suddenly disengagedfrom a carriage while running away with the same or whenever required tobe detached from it quickly; and we do hereby declare that our inventionis fully described and represented inthe following specification and theaccompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1, exhibits a top view of a whililetreehaving our improvement applied to it. Fig. 2, is a hori- Zontal sectionof the same, such also exhibiting the traces as applied to saidwhiflietree. Fig. 3, is a top view of the whiifletree as it appears whenits spring clamps are thrown outward, and the traces are discharged fromtheir stationary pins or holders.

In these drawings A, denotes the Whitfietree from each end of whichthere projects a stationary pin, o. In rear of this pin there isarranged on the whiftletree, a sliding clamp b, which is formed as seenin the drawings and forced outward by means of a spring, c. Projectingfrom the shank of said clamp and toward the pin or holder, a, is a stud,d, which may be termed the cast off its purpose being to discharge atrace B, from the pin or holder, a, when the clamp b, is unlatched andis being sprung outward.

The rear end of each trace is formed with a hole through it fo-r thereception of the pin, a, and there is projecting upward from the shankof the clamp, b, and through the whiftletree, a'stud, e, which operatesin connection with a spring lever latch, f', formed and arranged on thewhiiiietree as seen in the drawings. When the clamp, b, is forced intothe whitfletree to its greatest extent it, will be maintained in suchposition by the spring latch taking upon the stud, e. Under thesecircumstances, should the lever latch be moved so as to be thrown out ofengagement with the stud, e, the clamp, b, will be set free and thrownforward by the spring, its cast off being carried against the trace solas to throw the latter olf its pin and thus disengage it from thewhiflietree. A cord, g, is attached to the outerA arms of the springlever latches and extends upward within reach of a person in thecarriage. By pulling on the cord, both traces simultaneously may be setfree from the whiflletree.

Our invention, in comparison with others of a like character, has manyadvantages. It enables the traces to be hitched to the whiffletree withgreat facility and ease, and to be securely confined thereto withoutdanger of being detached by the ordinary movements of the carriage orhorse. It also enables them to be readily unhitched from thewhiflietreed whenever an accident occurs or is likely to occur, eitherwhile the carriage is in motion or at rest. In case the whiiiletreeshould become disconnected from the carriage that it may fall downward,the cords being supposed to be fastened to the carriage, its weightacting on the cord will disengage it from the tugs or traces. So in casea horse runs away with a carriage and it is overthrown or the body ofthe carriage thrown from the fore wheels, the horse will be disengagedfrom the whiffletree.

We do not claim combining with a whifletree a means of suddenlydisengaging the traces therefrom, while a horse connected to it isrunning; nor do we claim combining with the whiflietree, a means ofdisconnecting it from t-he carriage under like circumstances, but

What we do claim is-- The arrangement and combination of the movablespring clamp, b, its cast ofi, d, its spring latch, f, and thestationary pin, a, or holder, the whole being applied to each end of thewhifHetree and made to operate substantially in manner and for thepurpose as specified.

In testimony whereof, we, have hereunto set our signatures this 5th dayof May A. D. 1855.

HARVEY WEBSTER. ALONZO WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

HENRY G. HUToHrNs, SiLAs PARKER.

